The Swan: In Memory of the Ugly Duckling

I watch The Swan for two main reasons: (1) to be entertained; and (2) to improve my self-concept.

While majority of the regular watchers of this show are struck with jaw-dropping awe by the "finished product," I pity these women tremendously.

First of all, they're nothing more than guinea pigs and lab rats in the hands of these cosmetic surgeons who use them primarily to advertise their expertise in artificial beautification and body modification. They go through all the excruciating pain to lose what looks ugly and gain what nature deprived them of. At the end of every episode, they're made to stand in front of a full-length mirror, allegedly after three months of not seeing their reflection in the mirror, to utter any of the following interjections: (a) "Oh my God!" (b) "Oh my God, I'm beautiful!" or (c) "Oh my God, oh my God, Oh my God!" What could be more pathetic than this?

Secondly, these women fall under the same category-- The Rejected. Whatever their circumstance is, it always comes down to not being accepted, primarily by their spouses, who are themselves physically unattractive. Of course, there are some whose husbands love them just the way they are, but are obviously too eager to have their wives undergo a bust, nose, and face lift, tummy tuck, and other forms of augmentations and reductions. And at the end of the show, when they see their wives after the total overhaul, we'd see happy campers who seem to have hit jackpot and all they could say is, "Babe, you look gorgeous!" -- an adjective they haven't used for ages.

Now, I have nothing against this show, except for the message it implies to those who are not so happy about their physical appearance. On the upside, I like the coaching and therapy that they do to help the candidates deal with their issues and brokenness. But what these women really need is love and acceptance. They don't need a tummy tuck or a liposuction or a rhinoplasty in order to deserve love and acceptance.

The show is, indeed, aptly titled. The Swan-- from an ugly cygnet to a lovely swan. But whoever loves the swan should know that she was once the ugly duckling who did not belong to anybody.